As digital camera prices fall, digital image quality improves, and ease of use increases, more and more consumers will use digital cameras to fill their image capturing needs. Digital cameras offer many benefits. In particular, many digital cameras provide the capacity to capture segments of video or bursts of motion images. However, these motion images are presently useful only in screen-type displays.
There are many methods for printing images from digital cameras. Digital image files may be physically transferred to a computer via a memory card or by a data link between the computer and the digital camera. Once the digital image resides in the memory of the computer, a computer program can be used to select and print the images on a local printer. A computer may use a modem to transfer images over the phone lines or other communication networks to a remote photofinisher whereat the images may be printed. While the foregoing methods can be used to obtain prints from the digital image files, they are often time consuming and can often require complex use of a computer. Additionally, still image output from motion burst video files is often visually unsatisfying.
Another method of getting hard copy prints from digital image files is to transfer the digital image files directly to a printer from a memory card or by a data link between the printer and the camera. This approach may have more appeal as the aforementioned method because of ease of use, but the quality and utility of the print is limited to the printing capabilities of the local printer. Additionally, the consumer is forced to maintain the printer, and once again, still image output from motion burst video files is often visually unsatisfying.
Recently, the KODAK ADVANTIX Preview Camera™ was introduced. This is a hybrid film/digital camera which captures a low resolution digital image at the same time a film frame is exposed. A color LCD image display on the camera allows a consumer user to preview the image captured on film, and to indicate how many desired prints a photofinisher should produce from the film frame corresponding to the displayed digital image. The number of desired prints is encoded magnetically on the film, and read by the photofinisher. The system is limited, however, since only standard prints can be ordered. Such a camera could be adapted to also enable the user to order album pages, as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,121, by Mcintyre et al., entitled, “Hybrid Camera System With Electronic Album Control,” Aug. 17, 1999.
Lenticular motion cards can be produced as described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,758, by Gulick, Jr., entitled, “Device and Method For Producing Lenticular Images With Motion,” Mar. 10, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,083, by Taylor et al., entitled “Camera And Method For Capturing Motion Sequences Useful For Integral Image Element Formation,” Sep. 21, 1999; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,087, by Morton et al., entitled, “Motion-Based Hard Copy Imaging,” Apr. 7, 1998. However, it is difficult for a consumer user of a hybrid or digital camera to easily use their captured images to produce lenticular motion cards, since the consumer cannot visualize the full appearance of such a motion card as they capture images or order prints using their digital or hybrid camera.
A need exists for a simple, economic, and visually satisfying system for creating lenticular output, such as lenticular motion cards, from digital and film images.